DIY Camber gauge for under $ 15
 

I showed my DIY camber gauge at Marble Falls last weekend and was asked to post it on Rennlist. The gauge is VERY accurate and the hardest thing is to assemble it with the smallest tolerances possible. It is nothing more than a wooden case for a Harbor Freight laser level. The lower scale shows camber in increments of 1/4 degrees, but it is very easy to see between the markings which gives you 1/8 degrees or 12.5". The lower wooden spacer is fixed to the case and the upper is movable for different rim sizes. The bubble vial on top is just used to hang the gauge straight down. The laser level inside the gauge needs about a minute to stop swinging and is very sensitive.

When Rog100 and I adjusted my suspension 2 weeks ago we used a professional camber gauge to adjust camber and caster. I rechecked all the camber values on all 4 wheels with my DIY gauge and they are exactly the same.

Great tool! But if your only doing one car, you don't need anything that elaborate. Just one tick mark does both sides (L/R). One tick for front wheels, one tick for rear.

You can get by without the laser too, but that comes in handy while doing the toe adjustment.

http://members.rennlist.com/captearlg/928%20ALIGN.HTML

The cars listed below my name are not an "evolutionary" List. I do own all 3 and drive them. That's why the tool is used for 15', 16' and 17' e.g.

Cool! :thumbup:

Hey, that's cool. I've been eyeing my out of camber wheels with disdain.
Thanks for the idea, as I'm just way to lame to create my own tools anymore. My brain hurts.

Hey, my brain is even weaker than yours. I don't get how this thing works! (I don't see how you tell the laser is perfectly vertical.) I need Carl to fab up Schocki's invention and tell me how to use it.

Let gravity work for you .... a carpenter's 'plumb bob' suspended from Schokis top pivot would also work - with its point being the dial indicator on the bottom scale: $15 be damned .... we can get this thing down to $2 ... and undercut the market ... :evilgrin: :jumper: :roflmao:

Ah, assumes level floor, of course.

That's what the 4' level is for ... gotta have the carpenter's full tool kit. ;)
Actually, an A-arm suspension should accommodate modest surface variance without effecting camber ... but perfectly level is best.

Resurrecting an OLD thread here... from the alignment thread. This is a very cool tool, and maybe there is an obvious answer to this question: How did you determine the baselines for the markings the laser points to? I'm trying to figure out how you know how much is how much. Thanks!

Simple: If you make the tool measure the distance from the upper mounting point of the laser level to the baseline. Than use a tangens calculation to figure out the distances on the baseline. The same method is used to align your car with a laser level. This time you use the "system" inside the the tool. A little tricky is to find the "0" line you need a 100% upright wall or similar to do this.

I'm actually thinking about a new camber gauge, based on what some companies offer. Level are sold with a digital display sometimes for less than $40. They are accurate by 0.1 of a degree....

Yup, thanks, I shoulda thought of that. Good idea with the new digital readouts; it seems it wouldn't be too hard to duplicate a tool like the smart camber.

Good ole trig finally gets put to use.

With a right triangle, tan Angle = opposite side ÷ adjacent side

So, opposite side = adjacent side x tan A

For 1º and a laser pivoting 18 inches from the zero target, you would get:

opposite side = 18 x tan 1º = 18 x 0.0174550649 = 0.314 inch

The scale is not exactly linear, but close enough over this range.

Google even has a tangent calculator to make this easy.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tangent+1+degree

Schocki and the group:

I invested last weekend in a digital laser level, supposedly accurate to 0.1 degree, but I'm disappointed in the lack of accuracy and also the lack of repeatability with whatever sensor they are using when right at 0 degrees and also at 90, where you'd really like the thing to be spot-on. My casual verification used a leveled (with bubble level) surface plate, level confirmed with both the bubble and the digital read on the new level. Raise one end of the 24" level by 3/8" and it reads 0.3 degrees, just way off... :(

I'm putting together a better calc sheet to use with my wheel fixtures to verify what I think I'm seeing, so don't take this as hard truth quite yet. So far, the bubble-level and the drill bit method seems to be the easiest and by far the most accurate/repeatable method I've found using the fixtures. Your method with the laser plumb bob arrangement is likely more accurate than the digital as I see it right now.

Measuring camber does require that the car is on a floor that's level at least side to side as the car sits. An incline of 0.5 degrees woult throw off your camber settings by (drum roll please...) 0.5 degrees. That's a difference in altitude of about 0.25 inches between the sides of the car. Both front and rear need to be correct even if you are only measuring/adjusting the front camber. There's really no goood way to get around this requirement.

Yes, that is how far off-level my garage floor is side-to-side. Too bad you are not finding good accuracy with these levels. I have a bubble level that has a screw adjustment for zero, but I haven't checked its calibration yet as you did.